COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: Lumberjacks fall in three sets to host Gators

SAN FRANCISCO -- Humboldt State was unable to get its offense on track Friday night and fell 0-3 (25-17, 25-17, 25-22) to host San Francisco State University in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match.

With the result, the Jacks slip to 2-15 on the season and 0-10 in conference action, while the Gators improve to 13-4 and 8-2 in the CCAA.

Individually, Danielle Carlson led HSU with 12 kills, followed by Alexa Rosendale with nine kills. Defensively, Tiffany McCray led the team with 17 digs. As a team, the Jacks picked up two blocks, with Allison Drobish assisting on both blocks. Conversely, the Gators were paced by Megan Johnson who recorded 10 digs and three service aces. Jessica Nicerio came up with 21 digs, while Iris Tolenada tallied a team-high 37 assists.

San Francisco State opened the first set with a kill from Kelly Ostello and Humboldt State surrendered three more points to give SFSU a 4-0 lead. Carlson put the Jacks on the board after putting down a kill off an assist from Kelci Renshaw, but the Gators dominated the opening set and quickly found a nine-point lead. Humboldt State signaled a timeout to try and regroup.

Back on the court, three Jacks put down a total of five kills to try and close the gap, but it wasn't enough. Passing and attacking errors became a problem for HSU, pushing SFSU forward to claim the first set, 25-17.

Humboldt State came back in the second set and started with a 2-0 lead thanks to one kill each from Rosendale and Carlson. The Gators tried to pass the Jacks, but were unsuccessful until an attack attempt from HSU's Carlson was blocked by San Francisco State's Johnson and Megan Wright to tie the score at 7-7. Johnson put two more kills down, giving the Gators the boost they were looking for. The Jacks were unable to regain focus and eventually fell 25-17.

The third set was a seesaw affair with seven ties and four lead changes. Humboldt Sate came back from the break trying to shake off their two-set deficit and grabbed the first point off a service error from Wright. HSU continued to suffer from passing errors, giving SFSU a three-point lead to put the score at 10-7 in favor of the Gators.

After a quick timeout, Humboldt State came back to close the gap and tie the set at 11-11. The Gators slowed down their play and as a result suffered multiple attack errors giving the Jacks much needed points, but neither team could break out in front with a high point margin. Tied at 22-22, San Francisco State powered down three-straight points to win the third and final set 25-22.

Humboldt State continues on the road tomorrow night, Oct. 13, facing Sonoma State University at 7 p.m. in Rohnert Park. The match is the last time the Jacks will face a new team this season as the first half of the CCAA season comes to an end.